Andrzej Wnuk, 41, was arraigned Friday after he allegedly attacked three Jewish men in Williamsburg around 6:45 p.m., police and video showed.
The alleged assaults took place in the vicinity of Throop Avenue and Gerry Street, where prosecutors say Wnuk approached three men who were walking separately and struck each of them. One victim, 48, was punched in the back; another, 38, was punched in the shoulder; and a 21-year-old was struck in the side of the head, according to the charging papers.
Prosecutors say Wnuk shouted "f–king Jews" during the incidents. All three victims complained of pain to their faces but refused medical attention at the scene, the record shows. Video from the immediate aftermath captured police hauling away Wnuk while bystanders looked on.
Witnesses and video also showed Wnuk wearing a black T-shirt with an image of the iran flag in the middle, a detail prosecutors included when they charged him with a hate crime assault.
Brooklyn prosecutors arraigned Wnuk in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Friday. He was remanded with bail set at $5,000 cash and is due back in court April 30 on the hate-crime assault charge.
The single-day timeline is stark: the alleged attacks occurred around 6:45 p.m., and by nightfall Wnuk had been taken to court and formally charged. That swift movement from alleged street confrontation to arraignment is documented in the court record and on video of the scene.
The case contains a built-in tension. The prosecution rests the hate-crime allegation on a combination of the alleged slur and the shirt Wnuk wore during the alleged attacks, plus the injuries reported by the three men. Yet the victims declined medical care, which may limit physical-evidence leads; the public record so far relies on video, witness accounts and the victims' own complaints of facial pain.
Whatever the outcome of the coming proceedings, the immediate next step is clear: Wnuk returns to Brooklyn Criminal Court on April 30, where a judge will face the question of whether the evidence presented by prosecutors is sufficient to carry the hate-crime count forward beyond arraignment.
